Bassetlaw: Patient pens poetry book to raise money for hospice

Joe Lyons, a patient at Bassetlaw Hospital, has penned a new poetry book.

Published:13:00Monday 15 June 2015

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A patient at Bassetlaw Hospital has penned a new poetry book to help raise vital funds for the hospice.

Joe Lyons has been a patient at the hospital for around a year due to his illness, Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (AATD).

He hopes that his book, entitled ‘My Big Book of Scribbles and Rhymes’ will help raise money for the hospice and two other charities.

“I enjoy writing and am a member of a local writing group.” Joe said.

“My poems may not be grammatically correct but I have fun writing them and people seem to get great pleasure from reading them. I can’t leave the house most days because the conditions outside will make my illness worse so it helps me pass time to write.”

He began by posting his ‘scribbles’ on Facebook and got so much positive feedback he decided to turn it into a book.

He has also written a poem for children for the Alpha1uk Support Group to help them understand the illness.

Joe added: “The aim of the book is to help raise awareness of my illness and to help raise funds for the three charities I support, one of which is Bassetlaw Hospice.”

Helen Eshelby, fundraising co-ordinator for the hospice, said: “We are thrilled that Joe has written this book to help raise funds for us. He is a lovely man and wants to help as many people suffering with similar debilitating diseases as he can.”

AATD is a lack of the protein alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) which is produced in the liver. A deficiency can lead to life-threatening lung and/or liver disease.